100 Moonlit Nights
by Kerochan no Miko
Summary: A collection of short drabbles using the prompts from the fanfic100 community. Characters and settings will vary.
1. Light

_Author's Note: I decided I needed to do some writing exercises in order to combat some writer's block, so I started working on some of the prompts from the fanfic100 community. I make no guarantees as to quality, and I'm sure most of them will be quite short. But hey, if I'm writing them, I might as well post them._

_ Also, the usual disclaimers apply, I don't own Sailor Moon, please don't sue me, etc etc._

* * *

**73: Light**

The first thing he saw when he looked at her was light. Pure and intense and near-blinding, as though it was only barely contained within her human form. It bewitched him in an instant, drew him closer like a moth to a candle flame.

And yet in that same instant she saw the darkness within him and rejected him utterly, denying him the chance to so much as get near her. So he had reacted, in sudden childish fury, and attacked.

But he could not forget. He could not let her go. For one who had been raised amidst the living, breathing _darkness_ that was Nemesis, that light was too much of a temptation to resist. It must be his. It would be. _She_ would be.

-----  
_Prince Demand and Serenity_  
_1/13/08_


	2. Snow

**67: Snow**

As they left his apartment they discovered that it had begun to snow in the hours they had been inside. All too soon the usual grime would overtake it and turn it into dirty slush, but for the moment the city was blanketed in a light dusting of pure, clean white.

Mamoru had to lift one hand to shield his eyes as the snow reflected the sun's light in exponential brightness, then glanced over to see Usagi twirling giddily on the slick sidewalk, arms spread wide to catch the falling flakes. He reached out automatically to catch her as she slid, and as she looked up at him, laughter in her clear blue eyes, he could not help but smile in reflection of her infectious joy.

It was moments like these, he thought, that he couldn't help but remember why he had fallen so completely in love with her.

-----  
_Mamoru and Usagi_  
_1/13/08_


	3. Red

**11: Red**

Red was the color of fire. Of passion. Of courage. Of Mars.

And of her blood.

It was a color that haunted him through millennia of non-being, through three lives and two deaths. It filled his dreams, awakening both desire and guilt, and tormented his waking life as half-remembered flashes of past lives were called into recollection at unexpected moments.

It had once been his favorite color. Ages ago. Lifetimes ago.

Now it reminded him only of his sins. Red was for wrath. For betrayal. For the stains on his hands that nothing, _nothing_ could ever wash away.

-----  
_Jadeite and Mars_  
_1/14/08_


	4. Green

**14: Green**

She had once read that there were natives of the Arctic who had a hundred words for snow; though she wasn't really familiar with snow, living where she did, she could understand that. After all, she herself had her own names for at _least_ a hundred shades of green.

There was the softly vibrant shade of a new shoot pushing its way up through the soil. The rich deep color of an evergreen's needles. The sickly-healthy green of a tellun's leaves. The bright emerald of her sailor fuku. She knew each one and loved them for their own individual reasons.

And yet, as she found herself staring into a pair of bright-sapphire eyes, she wondered vaguely how she had never realized the beauty of the color blue...

-----  
_Makoto and Nephrite_  
_1/15/08_


	5. Dark

**74: Dark**

She had never liked the dark, but this was far worse than anything she had ever known. This was no simple darkness, where she knew she could just reach for the lamp or a flashlight and easily dispel the gloom. This was living, breathing, tangible _darkness_, a malevolent entity that wanted nothing but to suffocate her and all the light she bore until there was nothing but black.

As she crept through the hallways she had to place each step with great care, for she could never tell where it would land, but she could not halt. If she hesitated, if she stopped entirely, she somehow knew the darkness would overwhelm her, would bury her alive in its coils until she forgot how to breathe.

Even though he was her kidnapper and captor, she found herself looking forward to seeing him. Hoping that the next corner she turned would bring her to him. For it was only with him that the darkness eased its poisonous grip and allowed her to _be_.

-----  
_Usagi and Demand_  
_1/15/08_


	6. He

**84: He**

This disguise thing was almost fun, she had to admit to herself. She'd never exactly been the most "girly" girl when she was younger, and it was a bit of a relief to no longer have to pretend.

In this boy guise, she could get away with sprawling on the sofa, or playing sports just for the sheer fun of getting sweaty and dirty, or eating whatever she wanted without having to worry about what people would thing...because _nobody cared_.

(She even tried learning to belch one day, just to see if it really was _that_ fun, but the others disapproved so much that she finally had to give up.)

She would _almost_ be disappointed when it was all over.

-----  
_Seiya Kou_  
_1/17/08_


	7. She

**85: She**

She understood the need for their charade, but that didn't mean she had to _like_ it. It was _insulting_, really, that everyone they met, every single one of their screaming fans with their posters and autographed photos and videos, all believed that she really _was_ a boy.

As _if_.

She was, she reassured herself daily, _far_ too pretty to make a convincing boy, and she simply couldn't understand how people could miss it. It wasn't as though she had the uncouth manners and brash ways of a common male. Were Earth people truly so _blind_?

As she sat through yet another autograph session with yet more drooling preteen girls, she gritted her teeth and reminded herself that she was doing this for good reason. The princess was worth even such an absolute _indignity_ as this. Still...she hoped it wouldn't be much longer.

-----  
_Yaten Kou_  
_1/17/08_


	8. Friends

**21: Friends**

We met on the first day of kindergarten, when the little blonde girl with the bright smile and appalling lack of coordination tumbled literally into my lap while trying to merely walk across the room. Something about her caught my attention, and instead of getting upset I smiled back and helped her up, then introduced myself and asked if she wanted to play. Ever since that day we were inseparable, our names permanently joined together whenever one of our classmates spoke of us.

I never told her, but I always felt a little drab and lifeless next to her; she has always been so much prettier than I (though she'll deny it) and bubbling over with boundless life and energy. She was almost too bright, too radiant to be real, and I sometimes wondered why she wanted to be _my_ best friend; the only thing I have going for me is that I get better grades than she, but they still aren't anything I'll get recognition for.

I suppose, then, that I knew it was inevitable that we would grow apart eventually. She still loves me dearly, I know, but – I'm no longer in the forefront of her mind. She has...other things going on. Things I can guess at, even though she will never admit it and I'll never ask.

It's time that others get to bask in her radiance, now. Time for me to back away quietly and allow her to shine.

But I will still always love her.

-----  
_Naru and Usagi_  
_1/21/08_


	9. Lovers

**23: Lovers**

He found her in the gardens, standing beneath a rose-entwined trellis; her eyes were closed as a gentle breeze stirred the folds of her gown, stroked through her long silver-gilt hair, and made the roses about her dance merrily. She always did love the green and growing things on the Earth and the feel of the wind; she'd once said that it always felt more real, somehow, than the gardens at her home, no matter how beautiful those might be.

"I thought we agreed that we shouldn't meet like this anymore," Endymion observed, finally breaking the spell of the perfect moment, as he left the path and moved closer to her.

Serenity slowly opened her eyes again, smiling up at him through her lashes. "We did."

"It's a dangerous thing we do." Endymion paused before her, attempting a stern facade out of duty's sake, but the warmth in his eyes betrayed him. "The laws forbid it."

"They do," Serenity agreed, reaching out to pull a scarlet bloom closer to her face. She half-closed her eyes as she breathed in its scent, feeling the brush of soft petals against her cheek.

Endymion gave a faint sigh and lifted one hand, gently nudging the rose away and replacing its touch with his own. "I love you, my princess."

"And I you, my prince." Serenity's eyes danced with unspoken laughter, and she lifted her face toward him as he leaned in, bringing his lips to meet hers.

-----  
_Serenity and Endymion_  
_7/19/07 (edited 1/21/08)_


	10. Parents

**27: Parents**

"What brings _you_ out here?"

"Such a cold reception, my darling daughter. Don't you have kind words for your loving father?"

"If you _were_ a loving father, I might."

"Oh, don't give me that. You know perfectly well why things turned out like they did."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

"And I'm sure you'll hold a grudge against me until the end of time."

"That's what I'm good at, after all. Like father, like daughter."

"I just wanted to pay a visit, see how things are going. You did call on my power recently, after all."

"Recently according to _whose_ calendar?"

"Stop changing the subject, Kai–"

"_Setsuna_."

"Fine. Setsuna. Are you going to answer the question?"

"Everything is going just perfectly, as usual."

"Right."

Silence. Then, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was just thinking about your mother."

"Why, are you trying to say I look just like her or something?"

"No. I was actually thinking that you're nothing like she was."

-----  
_Pluto and Chronos_  
_1/23/08_


	11. Birthday

**91: Birthday**

There were better ways to spend one's birthday than in labor, that much was certain.

But as she rode the waves of contractions and pain and exhaustion and trying to put up with the doctor encouraging her to "push, push, just _one_ more time" as she squeezed Mamoru's hand until she thought she felt the bones creak and yet he didn't protest, not at all, just kept encouraging her, she reminded herself of what this would bring. What the end result would be, if she could just keep going, hoping it would be over soon, never too soon.

After hours she had long ago lost count of she finally felt the tearing release and heard her daughter's first cry, and she wept in mingled relief and joy as the wailing infant was settled into her arms. Even at that moment she could not help but remember the look in her older counterpart's eyes as she had left for the last time on that day years ago, returning to her proper time so that she could appear in this one.

"Happy birthday, Usako," Mamoru whispered in her ear, his voice soft and hoarse and trembling a little with suppressed emotion.

And she smiled, smiled with tears streaming down her cheeks, and whispered back, "And happy birthday, Chibiusa."

-----  
_Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibiusa_  
_1/23/08_


	12. Ends

**3: Ends**

I bring ruin. I am Death. I am the end of everything.

My sleep is dreamless and near-eternal, broken only by the brief moments when I am called to destroy.

Destruction. It is who I am. What I am. All that I will ever be.

I know the fear my presence brings, for all that live know they must end, and facing the utter reality of that end brings the basest fears out in the bravest of mortal souls.

And yet – this time. This time it is different.

The light shines bright before me, all around me, even as I move to fulfill my calling, my one purpose.

This time there is hope. This time, the end ... will bring a new beginning.

-----  
_Sailor Saturn_  
_1/30/08_


	13. Rain

_**Author's Note: **This is part one. See next drabble, "Who?", for part two. (And if anyone is confused, Peter is Nephrite.)_

**66: Rain**

The day's forecast had called for clear, sunny skies, so he had left his umbrella at home. Naturally, this meant that the heavens opened and rain poured down when he had only managed to get about a block away from campus.

Seeking shelter from the sudden torrent, he quickly ducked into a nearby cafe, vaguely recognizing it as one popular with the undergrads at his school for its proximity to campus, though at this hour it seemed fairly empty still. As he stood in the entryway, absently pushing a sodden lock of hair from his forehead, one of the waitresses approached to greet him.

The girl was unusually tall, with a wealth of glossy auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail; as she turned toward him, her cheeks were flushed, her bright green eyes sparkling in echo of her smile, and for an instant his breath caught at the beauty of the sight. But then she met his eye and abruptly halted, all color washing from her face as the armful of menus she was holding slithered free from fingers gone nerveless and tumbled to the floor.

He stared at her in turn, captivated by something he could not quite name; a sense of familiarity, perhaps, an odd feeling that he'd suddenly found something he'd never realized he was looking for. After several long moments of silence, punctuated by the faint drip of water from his rain-damp clothing onto the floor, a rivulet of water escaped from his hair and trailed down the back of his neck, making him shiver involuntarily; at the movement the spell was broken and the girl abruptly whirled and ran, disappearing into the back of the restaurant without a word spoken.

Though he didn't understand what had just happened, he slowly turned away and left the cafe again, trudging through the storm toward the train station without caring. For some reason he welcomed the rain that soaked his hair and clothing, though it could do nothing to ease the sudden, inexplicable pain within his heart.

-----  
_Peter and Makoto_  
_2/11/08_


	14. Who?

_**Author's Note: **This is part two. See previous drabble, "Rain," for part one._**  
**

**76: Who?**

Makoto rushed past her startled co-workers, ignoring their concerned looks and questions, and ducked into one of the little storage rooms off the kitchen. She closed the door and half-collapsed back against it, finding herself suddenly shaking all over.

Who_ was_ he?

"It can't be him. It's impossible. It can't."

He was dead, dead twice over, or should have been. Dead by her hand, both times.

Dead four years ago, when she had first awakened to her powers and destiny – though not her memories.

Dead uncounted millennia ago, when her greatest love had betrayed her, his heart buried and twisted by Metaria's dark power.

Both times she had set him free. He was gone. Or so she had always thought.

She shuddered, lifting a trembling hand to her forehead as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed. Who could that man have been? And why did he have to have those eyes – those sapphire-blue eyes she remembered all too well, remembered both filled with love and hatred.

"He can't be," she whispered. "It can't be Nephrite."

-----

_Makoto and Peter/Nephrite  
2/12/08_


	15. Sunrise

_**Author's Note: **This is part one. See next drabble, "Storm," for part two. (And if anyone is confused, Takehiko is Kunzite.)_

**31: Sunrise  
**

He saw her in the park that morning, standing on a rise of a hill with the dawn's light gilding the scarlet ribbon in her hair and bathing her in an aura of gold. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, so pure and fair she seemed, her face solemn and shoulders set as though she carried an immensely heavy, and yet invisible, burden. In that instant he yearned to go to her, to lighten her burden and her heart and bring a smile back to her face.

But then she turned, she blinked, the spell was broken, and he knew she was real, and wondered at the sudden impulse he'd felt toward a total stranger. The gravity in her expression was gone as though it had never existed, replaced by a bubbly cheer as she turned to move onward.

And then she saw him standing there, frozen as he stared at her with unaccustomed uncertainty; he could not understand why he felt he knew the woman, why he wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them and pull her into his arms and yet was utterly terrified of the prospect. Her eyes widened, her balance wavered for a moment, then she stepped forward.

"Do I know you?" she asked, voice casually curious but he somehow (how?) recognized a sudden intensity in her gaze.

He wanted to reply in the affirmative, but found the words would not come to his lips. After a handful of heartbeats, he finally frowned slightly and shook his head. "I apologize if I disturbed you," was all he said, then resumed his interrupted jog before she could say another word.

And though he tried his best to put her from his mind, he found it impossible; throughout that day, and days that followed, he found himself haunted by the look in her eyes as he had turned away, feeling as though he had betrayed her once more.

-----  
_Takehiko and Minako_  
_3/9/08_


	16. Storm

_**Author's Note:** This is part two. See previous drabble, "Sunrise," for part one. _

**70: Storm**_  
_

The driving rain outside echoed the falling of her tears, the fury of the storm no less than her own that had driven even Artemis away. Minako curled up on her bed, clinging to a tattered old stuffed toy as she wept in time with the patter of drops against her window.

It was impossible. She had watched him die both times, and unlike the others, had known exactly what that had meant the second time. He was gone, and by her hand.

And yet she could not explain what she had seen that morning, there in the park. The man who had not just the same silver hair, the same green eyes, but the same demeanor, the same way of carrying himself as _he_ had, once upon a time. And who had looked at her in such a way that for an instant, she thought it had to be him. Some miracle had brought him back to her, he remembered her, they could be together once more.

But the miracle had shattered in an instant with his denial. She was alone again, still, forever. The curse held true.

In sudden anger she sat up, hurling the stuffed toy across the room; it struck the latch and allowed the window to fly open with a gust of wind, driving the storm into her room but not soothing the one that raged within her heart.

_All I wanted was for someone to love me,_ Minako cried out silently, burying her face in her hands, her sobs drowned out by the howling of the wind.

-----  
_Minako and Kunzite_  
_3/9/08_


	17. Winter

**61: Winter**

Winter was her favorite time of year by far, not only because it felt somehow like it was _her_ season; the ice and snow were like old friends, even when they were not responding to her command alone, and she greeted them with a smile while most grumbled about the foul weather.

Once, in a fit of unusual courage for her, she had joined in a conversation amongst her classmates discussing their favorite seasons, shyly suggesting her own opinion. Her choice was greeted with laughter and derision, however, for the others could not understand why _anyone _would like winter. To them it was a season of death, emptiness, a time when life retreated as the city iced over.

She knew it was not so, though. Winter was not about death. It was about a healing sleep. Rest. And hope - the potential for rebirth.

--  
_Mizuno Ami_  
_4/20/08_


	18. Earth

**53: Earth**

It might have surprised those who thought they knew him, but he loved to garden. The scent of sunwarmed earth, the feel of damp soil between his fingers and under his nails – all of it was comforting to him.

Such things were difficult to come by in a city as crowded as this one, but he had set up a small garden on the roof of his apartment building and kept it secret from all (all except the one from whom he could keep nothing secret). That was where he went to relax, to get away from his life for a brief moment, to touch the leaves and blossoms and vines and work with the soil as he had not been able to since his tiny garden plot at his childhood home, all those years ago.

It was a little spot of life in the midst of steel, concrete, and smog, and he loved it dearly. It was his tribute to the greater Earth to which he was connected by soul and heart and mind.

--  
_Chiba Mamoru_  
_4/20/08_


	19. White

**19: White**

When the messenger arrived she was in the gardens, sitting with her guardians by the central fountain as they laughed and talked and wove wreaths from pearl-white moonflowers. As though his ill news brought silence hovering about him in a dampening cloud, their voices stilled at his approach, and all eyes turned toward him.

"The Earth Kingdom has fallen," he announced, voice solemn but eyes reflecting sympathy for the sorrow he knew the message would bring. "The Shitennou are missing, and what information we have hints that they have joined the enemy. The prince...is missing, presumed killed in battle."

The roaring in her ears nearly drowned out the messenger's voice altogether as he continued, her gaze fixed numbly on the half-finished garland in her lap. She felt her hands clench so tightly that nails drove through skin, but she did not feel the pain; she only watched drops of blood fall as in slow motion, staining the pale blossoms scarlet as the roses he would never bring her again.

--  
_Serenity_  
_4/26/08_


	20. Diamond

**48: Diamond**

From time to time he'd wondered why so many of those they had fought bore the names of gemstones, but up until recently it had been no more than idle curiosity about a strange coincidence. But then he'd gone shopping for a ring for Usagi and been faced with a dilemma that would have seemed odd to anyone outside of their small circle.

After he'd given her the ring, everyone had told him how lovely it was, how unique and how clever. Usagi had especially enjoyed the heart-shaped pink topaz surrounded by tiny seed pearls, exclaiming over how pink was her favorite color and pearl her birthstone. She loved the ring, it was obvious.

He never could bring himself to admit, though, that he'd only chosen that design because he couldn't bear to buy her a ring with a diamond.

--  
_Chiba Mamoru_  
_4/26/08_


End file.
